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Pelini says Martinez is ready to go'
StoryBy BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Monday, October 18, 2010 11:45 pm
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One game, he's electric and sensational and every other word of adulation that comes with your Heisman Trophy hype kit.
The next game, he's benched in the second half.
Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez has ridden this roller coaster two times already this season.
Washington? Wipe-the-drool-from-your-face fantastic. South Dakota State? Oh, that's right, he's a freshman.
Kansas State? School-girl-giddy, record-setting awesome. Texas? Drawing board, please.
Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said Monday he's not concerned about Martinez and his ability to come back from low points. But he did sound like a coach who wonders if he let the yo-yo get a teensy bit too close to the cement.
"When you look back at it, I don't know if that was the right thing to do," Pelini said of his staff's decision to bench Martinez in the second half of Saturday's 20-13 loss to Texas.
The Longhorns held Martinez to 21 yards on 13 carries, dropping his season rushing averages to 126.3 yards per game and 9.4 per carry. Martinez, victimized by dropped passes, was 4-of-12 passing for 63 yards.
"Taylor wasn't the only problem. We were just looking for a spark. It was a tough situation for a young guy," Pelini said.
"You live and learn as a head coach. You don't know if that was the right decision to make, but it was the decision that was made and you move forward. But he's in good spirits and he's ready to go."
This much is certain: Martinez remains Nebraska's starting quarterback. Period. Paragraph.
"I have confidence in Taylor Martinez. I'll just leave it at that," Pelini said. "I have tremendous confidence in that guy."
Pelini said he and offensive coordinator Shawn Watson made a joint decision to pull Martinez on Saturday after Nebraska's first two series of the second half resulted in three-and-outs.
Watson said he was sensing frustration in his young quarterback and didn't want problems to snowball. Martinez fumbled on his last carry of the day, and his final two pass attempts fell incomplete.
Senior Zac Lee played the remainder of the game and led the Huskers on one scoring drive -- it covered 16 plays and 83 yards and resulted in a field goal.
In his previous home game, Martinez lost a fumble and threw two interceptions in a closer-than-expected victory against South Dakota State. Coaches pulled him after his second interception with 11 minutes remaining.
Pelini and Watson said then they had confidence in Martinez, and the redshirt freshman responded with a 241-yard rushing performance on national television against Kansas State.
So what happens Saturday, when No. 14 Nebraska plays at No. 17 Oklahoma State?
The roller coaster appeared headed in the right direction after Monday's practice.
"Taylor acted like a true leader," starting tackle Jeremiah Sirles said. "He came out to practice, took his reps. He didn't say a word about (the Texas game) to me. I haven't heard him say a word about it to anyone else. I think he just learned from it like the rest of us did, and he's going to come back just as strong.
Reach Brian Rosenthal at brosenthal@journalstar.com or 402-473-7436.
StoryBy BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Monday, October 18, 2010 11:45 pm
My link
One game, he's electric and sensational and every other word of adulation that comes with your Heisman Trophy hype kit.
The next game, he's benched in the second half.
Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez has ridden this roller coaster two times already this season.
Washington? Wipe-the-drool-from-your-face fantastic. South Dakota State? Oh, that's right, he's a freshman.
Kansas State? School-girl-giddy, record-setting awesome. Texas? Drawing board, please.
Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said Monday he's not concerned about Martinez and his ability to come back from low points. But he did sound like a coach who wonders if he let the yo-yo get a teensy bit too close to the cement.
"When you look back at it, I don't know if that was the right thing to do," Pelini said of his staff's decision to bench Martinez in the second half of Saturday's 20-13 loss to Texas.
The Longhorns held Martinez to 21 yards on 13 carries, dropping his season rushing averages to 126.3 yards per game and 9.4 per carry. Martinez, victimized by dropped passes, was 4-of-12 passing for 63 yards.
"Taylor wasn't the only problem. We were just looking for a spark. It was a tough situation for a young guy," Pelini said.
"You live and learn as a head coach. You don't know if that was the right decision to make, but it was the decision that was made and you move forward. But he's in good spirits and he's ready to go."
This much is certain: Martinez remains Nebraska's starting quarterback. Period. Paragraph.
"I have confidence in Taylor Martinez. I'll just leave it at that," Pelini said. "I have tremendous confidence in that guy."
Pelini said he and offensive coordinator Shawn Watson made a joint decision to pull Martinez on Saturday after Nebraska's first two series of the second half resulted in three-and-outs.
Watson said he was sensing frustration in his young quarterback and didn't want problems to snowball. Martinez fumbled on his last carry of the day, and his final two pass attempts fell incomplete.
Senior Zac Lee played the remainder of the game and led the Huskers on one scoring drive -- it covered 16 plays and 83 yards and resulted in a field goal.
In his previous home game, Martinez lost a fumble and threw two interceptions in a closer-than-expected victory against South Dakota State. Coaches pulled him after his second interception with 11 minutes remaining.
Pelini and Watson said then they had confidence in Martinez, and the redshirt freshman responded with a 241-yard rushing performance on national television against Kansas State.
So what happens Saturday, when No. 14 Nebraska plays at No. 17 Oklahoma State?
The roller coaster appeared headed in the right direction after Monday's practice.
"Taylor acted like a true leader," starting tackle Jeremiah Sirles said. "He came out to practice, took his reps. He didn't say a word about (the Texas game) to me. I haven't heard him say a word about it to anyone else. I think he just learned from it like the rest of us did, and he's going to come back just as strong.
Reach Brian Rosenthal at brosenthal@journalstar.com or 402-473-7436.
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